NXT recap and reactions: Last will and testament

New tag team champs, new arrivals, and Trick Williams gets his last chance on this week’s NXT.

Testament

Talk about stakes. Ava put it bluntly to Axiom & Nathan Frazer: Lose your rematch to the Wolf Dogs and your team is milk carton status. For two guys who love teaming together and desperate for gold, that’s all the motivation they needed.

Throughout the program, we got comedic moments with the Wolf Dogs. They seemed relaxed and joked around. This was either the end for them or they took their opponents way too lightly. Or both.

When the match started, it seemed like the usual story for Baron Corbin & Bron Breakker. Bron dominated with his speed and power while Corbin showed his intelligence. But Axiom & Nathan fought back. In fact, that’s the story of the match. No matter what Baron & Bron threw at them, these cats kept coming back. Bron & Baron threw their biggest bombs but their opponents had answers. One moment during the match showed that Bron possibly cared more about Baron than winning the match or the championships. I love that kinda thing and it’s true character growth. But that care was possibly the achilles heel. Axiom & Nathan exploited it and hat’s why they’re the new NXT tag champs.

BUT WAIT THERE’S MORE.

Before the celebration truly got under way, The Final Testament showed up. AOP, back in NXT for the first time in so many moons, let the new champs know that they’re coming for them.

Seems pretty emphatic, wouldn’t you say?

Loved this match and love even more AOP back in NXT. I can’t think of two more polar opposite teams who might make magic together. It’s a David(s) vs. Goliath(s) story that wrestling usually does so well with the added bonus that these guys just got the championships. Be careful what you wish for, champs. You might just get it.

B-Sides

Preparing the Cage

Short but sweet on this one. Trick Williams and Ilja Dragunov ended NXT this week. Trick wants a title shot, Ilja initially said “nah.” Ilja says Trick got his shot and he lost, so it’s time to let someone else get their time in the sun. But the Mad Dragon relented because he thought of a proposition for Trick, who likes to gamble on himself. Trick gets a championship match at Spring Breakin’ but if he loses, he leaves NXT.

To up the stakes, Carmelo Hayes attacked Trick and warned his former best friend that he won’t make it to Spring Breakin’ because they have a freaking cage match next week!

A couple thoughts here. One, I’m down for making Trick’s journey to that championship harder since it seems academic that he’s winning. A cage match with Melo beats him up before the biggest match of his career and sows doubt.

And two, the cage match provides these two a chance to finish their own story a bit better than they did at Stand & Deliver. A do-over in a cage sounds appropriate. Plus, the stakes are incredibly high now. The territory dragged the story out this far, what’s another week?

Soul Sacrifice

Fallon Henley & Kelani Jordan vs. Kiana James & Izzi Dame continued their fight from Stand & Deliver. But that wasn’t the main development from the match or even the biggest point.

It started with Kelani showing more confidence and more ability, but then quickly turned. Izzi & Kiana looked really good together and flexed their power. I say it almost every week but Kelani is so good at selling her beating. She has that potent blend of smooth offense with a knack for selling jeopardy. She’s just easy to root for.

Fallon eventually got her turn and put things in her team’s favor. She hit an incredible suplex off the top rope that I can’t quite describe even though they pay me for my words. It’s worth seeing though and the video explains it better than my words ever could.

That key moment I mentioned earlier? Fallon pushed Kelani out of the way and took a 401(k) from Kiana.

Yes, her team lost, but this was all about deepening the relationship between Kelani & Fallon. I appreciated that given how Fallon and Kelani are both looking for friends.

The Blow

Roxanne Perez opened this week with a defiant promo. It was the usual “I told you so. I don’t need you people” work from a heel. Lyra Valkyria cut her off and called for her rematch, even though a sling draped over one arm. Tatum Paxley emerged from the crowd like the weirdo she is and looked like she was consoling her friend. Or at least coming to her rescue. I say “looked” because she then threw Lyra into the steel steps.

Betrayal!

Roxanne laughed while officials tended to Lyra. The Women’s NXT champ thought it was all good until Nattie walked to the ring with a mic in hand. Bottomline? She wants that championship and thinks Roxanne is too big for her britches. Ava made the match and they eventually did so.

Welcome to eventually! This was a really fun match. So sound in its storytelling, crisp with its moves, and every action meant something. Nattie held nothing back. She got extra physical with Roxanne, which went hand-in-hand with her dislike. Ms. Hart came into Florida with the desire to teach Roxanne a lesson, so she tested her to see just how serious the champ is about being tougher and better than ever.

To her credit, Roxanne gave as good as she got. She slowed her style down a bit, which I always appreciate from heels. Going with Nattie right now showed that Roxanne really is ready for the next level, at least in the ring. She still needs work persona wise, but the woman has it in the ring.

But I’m burying the lede here; this was all about Lola Vice picking a fight with Nattie. She interfered in the match and gave Roxanne a big assist for the W.

Thankfully, NXT stuck with Lola once she walked through the other side of the curtain when this happened:

More stuff like this, please. Love how they’re experimenting with camera angles, shots, and storytelling methods.

Fresh Meat

Look, I don’t need to say anything:

Let’s do it.

As High as Wu Tang Get

This is my first time seeing Je’Von Evans and whew, son can fly. Just raw athleticism combined with wrestling know how. They put him against the right opponent in SCRYPTS, who is also incredibly nimble. Given SCRYPTS and OTM’s general attitude, he did his best to ground Je’Von on several occasions but to little avail.

I mean, look at this:

And that might not be the illest thing he did during the match. At one point, he flew over the top rope for a higher-than-your-average Suicide Dive.

Je’Von got the win and looked impressive.

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Singles

• Jaida Parker defeated Brinley Reece. Jaida keeps getting better and I still have no idea what’s going on with Brinley, Edris Enofe, & Malik Blade.
• The D’Angelo Family (sans Tony D) defeated the No Quarter Catch Crew. Short match that showcased Luca Crusifino

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Tonight was really all about the women. There’s a Women’s North American championship lurking around the corner, show focusing on the ladies made so much sense. I enjoyed these two hours quite a bit and loved putting all the women, along with their issues, out front.

What say you, Cagesiders? Oh and as always, for more play-by-play, read the best wrestling live blog in the country.